Seny Kamara facts for kids

Seny Kamara is a computer scientist from France and the United States. He is well-known for his work in cryptography, which is the science of keeping information secret and safe. He has spoken to government leaders many times about how technology can both help and harm people. He also helps lead groups that use cryptography to do good things for society. His work has been featured in popular magazines like Wired and Forbes.

Learning and Degrees

Seny Kamara studied Computer Science at Purdue University, earning his first degree in 2001. He then went on to get his master's degree and a PhD (a very high-level degree) in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2008. For his PhD, he wrote about "Computing Securely with Untrusted Resources." This work looked at how to keep data safe when using cloud computing, which is like storing your files on the internet instead of on your own computer. He focused on topics like searchable symmetric encryption, which lets you search encrypted data without having to unlock it first.

What He Does

Today, Seny Kamara is a professor of computer science at Brown University. Before that, he worked as a chief scientist at Aroki Systems and as a researcher at Microsoft Research. At Brown University, he helps run the Encrypted Systems Lab. He is also part of other groups that focus on data science, human rights, and public policy. He teaches a popular class called "Algorithms for the People." In this class, students learn how computer science and technology can affect different communities, especially those who might be overlooked.

His Research Work

Seny Kamara is a key person in the field of encrypted search. This area of study focuses on how to search information that has been encrypted, meaning it's been scrambled to keep it private. He helped create the first methods for searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) that could find information very quickly. Later, he also helped develop structured encryption. This is a method that makes many practical SSE systems and encrypted databases work. It's like having a secret filing cabinet where you can still find what you need without unlocking the whole cabinet.

Helping the Public

Seny Kamara has often shared his knowledge with government leaders. In 2021, he spoke to the U.S. House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology. He explained that it's important to think about the possible harms technology can cause. He encouraged computer scientists to work on ways to prevent these harms. Also in 2021, he worked with Senator Ron Wyden to suggest creating an encrypted gun registry, which would keep information private but still allow it to be searched safely.

In 2019, he spoke to the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He talked about how using data in the financial world could affect people's privacy and potentially lead to unfair treatment. He also joined a committee for the National Academy of Sciences. This group looked at how law enforcement could access information when strong encryption is widely used. They wrote a report about encryption and cybersecurity.